Solomon, Rivers

This is an intense read with an increasing sense of unease as more and more of the truth is revealed. It will appeal to readers interested in exploring childhood trauma, secrets, and their long-term effects as in Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey or The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher.

This slim story packs a huge punch. Beautiful and stark in its pain, this emotional journey is one that all readers should take, in order to remember the atrocities of slavery. [See “Fall Fireworks,” LJ 8/19.]

Harrowing and beautiful, this is sf at its best: showing the possible future but warning of the danger of bringing old prejudices and cruelties to that new world. While a story about enslaved people in space could be a one-note polemic, the fully rounded characters bring nuance and genuine pathos to this amazing debut.